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wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

Bally Fitness

Kitty · Hermes

DO NOT RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They have evil contracts that are basically 4-year loans you're obliged to repay and they make impossible to get out of the contracts. Even if they *tell* you that the contract is broken, I've heard horror stories of unpaid bills showing up on people's credit reports months later.

I had a horrible experience with them and trying to break my contract when I moved. The rule was, if you moved more than 30 miles away from a Bally's you could get out of the contract. well, I moved 28 miles away from a Bally's - but the commute time was nearly an hour and I would have had to pay bridge tolls to get to the gym. They wouldn't budge and I had to pay for 3 years for a gym I couldn't use.

You also pay interest on your membership - it is JUST like a loan and will show up on your credit report.

Do a google search. There's been a class actions lawsuit against them and a bunch of consumer warnings about that gym.

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

Thanks for all the info, Kitty!

I think I'll cancel the appointment, cause the girl sounded like she was going to try and sucker me into a lot of stuff, plus what you said about them is ridiculous! I did a search on Bally and none of what people had to say about the company was good.

I think I might swing by Lifetime Fitness and take a tour, though they are a bit pricy.

Am I supposed to wear workout clothes when I tour a gym?

MissAllycat · BCBG

I belong to Bally (I work out in St. Louis Park and Bloomington). I like it because it's cheap. I signed an 18-month contract and paid $32/month during that time, and now that the contract was up it's only $20/month and I go month-to-month - I don't have a contract. I don't pay interest on my membership, as it is directly debited from my checking account each month.

It's a lot cheaper than Lifetime, but you get what you pay for. I go to 2 group classes each week and other than that, just use the treadmills, so I don't feel like I really need a fancy gym...

And it's just like any other gym - hard to find a parking space or a treadmill/machine during the peak hours (like right after work)...

Let me know if you have any specific questions. Good luck!

Kitty · Hermes

wetbandit42 wrote:

Thanks for all the info, Kitty!

I think I'll cancel the appointment, cause the girl sounded like she was going to try and sucker me into a lot of stuff, plus what you said about them is ridiculous! I did a search on Bally and none of what people had to say about the company was good.

I think I might swing by Lifetime Fitness and take a tour, though they are a bit pricy.

Am I supposed to wear workout clothes when I tour a gym?

Yeah, I don't think it's a good sign when you google a company's name and in the top 10 resulsts, 4 of them are web sites dedicated soley to consumer complaints/class action law suits.

I don't think you need to wear workout clothes for the tour, either!

AbsolutPrep1981 · BCBG

I worked for Lifetime in college so I recommend them. I saw one of those news shows about ballys one time. Maybe 20/20? And they had one guy who was told that he could sign the contract and cancel anytime within 7 days. Well he went to cancel it and was told the guy LIED to him and once he signed there was no grace period at all. Now of course you should always know what your signing but of course he didn't think they guy would just lie to him. It was a lot of horror stories like that. I dont know HOW they are still in business.

ILoveChoo · Hermes

IMO it depends on the specific gym. I loved it when I was in DC- they had a pool and great classes and tons of equiptment. Now that we moved though, the one here sucks...the classes are all at weird times (the lastest one starts at 6pm- I can't get there from work that fast!), no pool, minimal equiptment.

For the gym in DC it was totally worth it, but I'm thinking of quitting now (my contract is paid off so I just pay $11 a month now)becasue its not worth going. I'd be better off spending the money on a treadmill and some free weights.

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

Thanks for all of the responses, ladies! I think for the time being I'll stay away from Bally. I got a flyer in my mailbox today from Lifetime where I can save 40% on enrollment. Not sure if it would be cheaper than the student discount. My brother and SIL go to Lifetime, and they love it.

Cricket · Gucci

I just joined Lifetime 2 days ago. The one by my house is like a resort. It's freaking gorgeous. I'm paying $70 a month for me and my 2 kids (they get 2 hours of free childcare per child per day!!!). It's the sports membership (that's the one their offering the discount on) which is the basic membership plus use of the raquetball and rock climbing facilities. The basic membership (it's called Fitness membership) is $49.95 here (Arizona). I'd definitly check it out. I was floored when I took a tour. And I did like their sales approach. No pressure.